As Clay Guida heads back to drawing board, "The Carpenter" hopes to build on narrow loss

LAS VEGAS – After coming up on the wrong end of yet another split-decision result, UFC lightweight Clay Guida (25-10 MMA, 5-4 UFC) knows he must go back to the drawing board.

But with Saturday’s loss to Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas, Guida delivered his second “Fight of the Year” nominee in just 18 months. And for a fighter who’s just 4-4 over his past eight fights, “The Carpenter” once again showed why he’s welcome on any major fight card the UFC puts together.

Never is an awfully powerful word that few can back up. Just ask B.J. Penn what happens when you offer to fight “to the death” and are then forced to relent.

For Guida, who saw his immediate dreams of fighting for Penn’s UFC lightweight title slip away when the judges’ scores were read on Saturday night, “never” is a word he’s earned the right to use.

“I looked at my shorts, saw the blood, and it’s tough to judge on damage,” Guida said following the evening’s post-event press conference. “[Sanchez] dropped me a couple of times. I know I rocked him a couple of times and got some takedowns, threw some big elbows and some good ground-and-pound.

“It was an awesome fight. I was ready to go a couple more rounds. I got up and started running around again like a crazy man.”

Guida’s go-for-broke style has earned him near-legendary status, and his ability to fight through adversity has now confounded judges into offering four split-decision verdicts in his past seven contests.

Guida is 2-2 in those bouts, but just like his December 2008 submission loss to Roger Huerta, he may have gained as much through Saturday’s defeat as he would have with a victory.

“No one wants to fight in front of an empty crowd,” Guida said. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I was fighting by myself. It’s about the team, about family, support, and putting a smile on your face and getting back in there.

“I’m going to take a lot away from this fight. I’m going to treat it like the (Roger) Huerta fight, and it’s going to be another turning point in my career, I think. Keep those hands up. Watch those kicks. Back to the drawing board. But it’s all fun. Once you stop having fun, it’s time to look for a new profession.”

It’s hard to imagine declaring as “fun” any activity in which as much blood is lost as Guida spilled on Saturday night. But similar to his now-famous loss to Huerta, Guida did indeed keep a smile on his face throughout the contest.

“I knew I had to press the pace in the third,” Guida said. “I had some good ground-and-pound that might have gotten me the decision, but blood damage looks a lot better.

“I was standing there looking like Antonio Banderas in ‘Desperado,’ blood across my whole body. It doesn’t help. But we had smiles on our face. That’s all that matters.”

Following the loss to Huerta, Guida bounced by back by rattling off three-straight wins. Refusing to hang his head after narrowly losing out to Sanchez in a contest destined to live on as a classic, Guida predicts a similar result this time around, as well.

“The Roger fight really taught me to find that line between reckless and relentless, and reckless and patience,” Guida said. “We found it. I just have to stick to it. You can never let up in there. We went after each other like we didn’t like each other. But I’ve got no hard feelings against anybody. That’s what people want to see. People want to see awesome fights like that.

“I still believe that I’m the top fighter in the lightweight division. It’s not cocky; it’s confident. There’s a thin line between that as well. I want to wear that strap one of these days. We’re just going to be back to the old drawing board, as they say.”

And while Guida will have to wait until a cut that required enough stitches that the “doc lost count” to fully heal,
don’t expect the relentless fighter to stay on the sidelines for long.

“If you’re getting tired in there, you’ve got to find something else to do,” Guida said. “If you can’t go for 15 or 25 minutes, you’re in the wrong line of work. This isn’t a hobby. I love this.

“I didn’t feel tired in the fight. I felt awesome. I could have gone two more rounds, three more rounds, whatever. But I have too much fun out there to get tired.

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